


A Collaborative Effort

by Stealth_Noodle



Category: Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Genre: Awkwardness, Comment Fic, Crack Pairings, Crossover, F/F, Final Fantasy Kiss Battle, Flirting, I Don't Even Know, Mad Science, Makeouts, POV Second Person, Wordcount: 100-1.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-12
Updated: 2013-02-12
Packaged: 2017-11-29 00:51:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/680808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stealth_Noodle/pseuds/Stealth_Noodle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A debate over airship design gets a little heated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Collaborative Effort

"You _can't_ build the engine out of adamantite."

Luca uses "can't" the way people who aren't you use "shouldn't." (You prefer to use "the science isn't quite there yet.") You don't bother to look up from the schematics to reply, "Give me one good reason."

"Three," she snaps, and you can see her counting off on her fingers in your peripheral vision. "Father's not going to let you bankrupt the kingdom to build one airship, no one's going to have any idea how to repair it, and we're already getting enough pushback from the fuddy-duddies who didn't want a human on the design team." She shoves her pinky under your nose and adds, "Four: it can't be _that_ much better than mythril."

You do look up this time, just to watch her expression. "Oh, I don't know about that. Top speed should be about a hundred knots better."

Her golden eyes go gratifyingly wide before narrowing. "I want to check those calculations."

"Be my guest," you reply, rolling up the schematics sheet and getting to your feet. "I'll just go drop this off with—"

Luca catches your arm with a grip you won't be wiggling out of anytime soon. "Nice try."

You've never been big on compromise, but you're willing to work outside your comfort zone every now and then. "Okay, what if the engine's mostly mythril, but the _cannons_ —"

Then suddenly you're pinned to the wall with Luca's mouth over yours. Your lips part in what you're not sure is surprise or desire until you find yourself sucking on her lower lip, wrapping your arms around her broad back. Her visor bonks against your helmet, her goggles press into her throat, her heat fogs your glasses, and one of her thighs finds it way between yours. You've never been so turned on in your life, and that's counting your entire summer at Junior Automata Builders Sleepaway Camp.

Just as abruptly, Luca pulls away. By the time your thoughts have stopped spinning in dizzy little circles, she's left the room, and the schematics are no longer in your hand. You don't need even a fraction of your genius to piece together what just happened. 

When Luca returns sans schematics, rumpled but smug, you've got enough of your breath back to say dryly, "You win this round, Princess."

"Look, it's not that I don't _want_ to build an engine out of adamantite." She pauses to blow a stray lock out of hair out of her face. "It's just that I'm the one who has to hear about it if we go over budget. Again."

You don't seem to be picking up where you left off. Dwarves can be weird about this kind of thing; you're not sure if you're supposed to talk about it, or pounce on her, or give her written permission, or _what_. Maybe all she meant to do was distract you, after all. So you settle for feeling your way through the conversation, trying to ignore the lingering taste of her on your lips. "How long do you think it'll take them to approve the plans?"

Luca shrugs. "A week, at least. The elders are very... deliberate."

Is this flirting? You have no idea anymore. "We'd better find a way to stay busy, then," you say, with your best effort at coyness.

"I can think of a few things," she replies, and if that's meant to be coyness, she's not any good at it, either. You're still trying to decode her tone when she adds, haltingly, "I've got a few improvements to make to Calca and Brina."

You give up. "How about installing rocket launchers on them?"

A parade of emotions marches over Luca's face, flickering light in and out of her eyes: enthusiasm, protectiveness, consideration, skepticism, disappointment. "Nah," she says at last. "They make people nervous enough already."

"What about _detachable_ rocket launchers?"

Now she's all skepticism. "You're goading me, aren't you?"

"Is it working?"

"Well," she drawls, moving closer, "I _do_ know only one guaranteed way to shut you up."

That's clear enough. You pounce.


End file.
